A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words She is Worth More
by ahsfoxxay
Summary: snapshots of the progression of foxxay's relationship from platonic to romantic. rating changes will be posted at beginning of chapter for future reference.
1. Chapter 1

Cordelia dug through her drawers, tossing aside various articles of clothing. _Where the hell could it be._ Normally she wasn't very picky about her outfits, choosing to dress rather bland out of the fear of being ridiculed by the girls or even worse her mother. She blew out a rush of air, frustrated and to the point of giving up. It's not like anyone would steal it, she could practically hear Madison snort at the idea that the star would wear anything even remotely similar to the old, dried up headmistress. Sighing, the blonde shrugged on a blouse and tucked it into a sleek, black skirt. _Mundane._ She rolled her eyes at the voice in her head and decided she was being ridiculous. Why she had even wanted to wear that stupid flowery skirt she bought so long ago was beyond her. _Misty._ Cordelia physically shook her head as if to disagree with herself. God, she felt so stupid. Why was she talking to herself? The internal monologue wasn't her biggest worry, she mused. Not if her life was so banal that in order to spice things up, she changed the color of her skirt. Well then again Cordelia had always felt as though her personality was drawn from the people and environment around her and she _had_ been spending time teaching Misty in the greenhouse. That must be why she felt so compelled to dress as floral as the wild swamp witch. _Probably some borderline personality disorder._ Cordelia let out a little, pathetic snort and decided that her self diagnosis and the loss of the skirt, assuming that she had lost it, would be dealt with another day. Slipping on some heels, she grabbed her notes and got ready for the morning meeting.

0000

"Girls be ready in ten minutes," she called walking down the hall, heels clacking on the hardwood floor. Cordelia knocked on Madison's door, knowing that the actress wouldn't actually leave her room until she was fetched. "Come on Madison, meeting in five." Rather than wait for some snarky remark, the headmistress continued walking and spreading the message of the incoming meeting one last time. She made her way down the stairs before the rest of the girls, selfishly hoping for some time alone to enjoy a cup of coffee. God knew she needed it.

Down in the kitchen Cordelia found herself leaning back against the island in the center of the room, hands wrapped around her freshly brewed drink. If only coffee could stop the girls from tearing at each others throats. _Maybe it would if I splashed it on them like wine in the Real Housewives._ Cordelia laughed lightly to herself, imagining how all of the girls would react. It was just too funny and she found herself giggling into her coffee despite how dumb the joke really was.

"What's so funny?" Misty inquired, sitting at the table, idly playing with the leftover cereal in her bowl.

"Hmm?" Cordelia swallowed her giggles, washing them down with a sip of coffee, and turned to see the source of the voice. "Oh hey Misty," she rested her back against the sink opposite the counter, not particularly surprised by the girls appearance. Of course Misty would be down here eating breakfast, she knew the girl was an early bird. The headmistress must have missed the girl eating breakfast at the table when she first walked in. "Sorry, I didn't even see you."

"It's okay, I was gonna say hi but ya were really wrapped up in that cup of coffee," Misty plucked a marshmallow out of her cereal, and let it dissolve on her tongue, "I'm assumin' it's coffee with a lil' somethin extra if ya are gigglin that hard at 9 am. Not to mention completely missin' someone else was in the room. Miss. Cordelia are ya drunk or just rude?"

Mortified, the color drained from Cordelia's face. "No, no, I would never, and I didn't see you and I was just thinking about the Real Housewives and Madison- wait do you even know what reality TV is? I—."

"Relax, Miss. Delia, I'm only yankin' your chain." Misty bit her lip to suppress a laugh and Cordelia sighed, trying to hide behind her cup of coffee though the swamp witch could see a little smile that mirrored her own. "You're too worked up Miss. Cordelia, maybe ya need to throw a shot in that coffee for real."

Cordelia laughed, shaking her head as she took another sip, "I'll think about it."

The short, comfortable silence that had settled around them was broken by the scraping of Misty's chair as she grabbed her empty bowl and carried it over to the sink. Cordelia nearly choked on her last sip of coffee when the girl got up and started moving over to her. _The skirt. Misty is wearing my skirt._ The swamp witch leaned across Cordelia, invading her space while she placed the bowl in the sink. Cordelia coughed awkwardly, fighting the blush that came from the uncomfortable, although not unwanted, close contact. Misty, generally a tactile person, didn't seem phased as she backed up and leaned against the island across from Delia. "Um, Misty?" Cordelia swallowed thickly and even debated taking a fake sip from her empty mug just to break the seemingly one-sided awkward tension, "Is that my skirt?"

Misty, not uncomfortable in the slightest, nodded and did a little twirl. "Ain't it cute?" She perched herself up on the island, crossing her legs and leaning back on her palms. "Sorry for just grabbin' it like that but I couldn't ask ya. Ya were in the shower when I came lookin' for ya yesterday to ask for some stuff I need. I don't have any clean clothes or really anythin' cause I didn't bring any with me from my swamp and with the witch hunters on the loose and all, I figured I shouldn't go back till I can bring someone with me."

"Uh that makes sense," Cordelia murmured and nodded. "We'll get you out there as soon as possible okay?"

" What do you want me to do till then? Besides walk around naked." Misty clicked her heels together, admiring her boots and laughing at her own joke.

"Um," The headmistress was at a loss of words with the invasive image of a naked Misty walking around the academy. She twisted around, placing her coffee cup in the sink to buy some time. "Uh, You can definitely borrow clothes from all of the girls, um, including myself, just make sure you ask okay?" Cordelia played with her now empty hands anxiously, grateful for the sound of footsteps making their way into the kitchen. She cursed herself for being so embarrassingly awkward.

"Kay, thanks Miss. Cordelia," Misty smiled, jumping off the counter, "I can't wait to share clothes, maybe I can't give ya a little make over or somethin', yea?" She innocently took a step closer and idly toyed with the end of the bow on Cordelia's blouse before joining the group of girls walking through the kitchen to get to the living room where the morning meeting was held.

Cordelia watched her go and took a deep breath. All of the sudden closeness was something she wasn't used to at all, even with her husband. She fidgeted with the bow on her blouse that Misty had just played with, feeling uneasy as she began to trail behind the girls. The meeting went as usual; the girls bickering angrily and spitting hurtful names at each other while she unsuccessfully tried to intervene. Her eyes flickered between each girl until she caught Misty's gaze. The older woman felt herself flush a little under Misty's watchful eye, wondering how long the girl had been looking at her. Just as she was about to look away, the Swamp witch mimicked throwing back a shot and winked causing Cordelia to smirk and roll her eyes.

000

Later that night Cordelia flopped down into bed, exhausted after staying up unexpectedly late with Misty in the greenhouse. Misty just seemed to have an insatiable hunger for botany and after being rejected and made fun of by the girls for her love of plants, Cordelia was more than happy to be appreciated. Plus it wasn't so bad being around Misty; she was kind and a big goofball. It was nice to just have company after being ignored for so long by her mother and the other girls.

A smile crept across her face as she remembered Misty dancing just an hour ago to some crazy old song, giggling and twirling and begging Delia to dance with her. Cordelia felt guilty for saying no but she had two left feet plus Misty was much more fun to watch. She let out a happy sigh, folding her hands and resting them on her abdomen as she ran through the days events in her head.

Remembering that Misty went through her drawers made Cordelia sit up in bed. Anxious to see what else Misty had taken, the older woman shuffled over to her dresser, opening up each drawer and quickly looking through it. So far, Misty had just taken a couple skirts, a pair of pants, a scarf, and a few shirts, nothing Cordelia would really miss. She reached her underwear drawer and sucked in a breath. _Oh god._ _She wouldn't._ Tense with anticipation, Cordelia opened the drawer only to sigh in relief. Nothing had been touched or moved. She laughed sheepishly, feeling like an idiot. _Of course she wouldn't take underwear._

Laying back in bed Cordelia covered her face, still laughing at the fact that she thought Misty would borrow some of her underwear. She turned over, bunching the covers around her in order to get comfortable for sleep. Just as she was drifting off, the realization hit her. _If Misty didn't take my underwear, that means she's probably not wearing any._ The room suddenly got too hot and uncomfortable, Cordelia throwing off the covers in an attempt to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Cordelia chewed on the end of her pen, eyes flickering from the clock back to the screen of her laptop. It's funny that even though she could count the number of students she had on one hand, she still managed to make hours of work for herself planning lessons, balancing expenses and arranging schedules. The headmistress peered at the clock one more time and scowled at it, as if her angry glare would somehow make it move faster. A soft little knock on the door easily got her attention and caused her to sit up in her chair. "Come in."

"Hey Miss. Delia." Misty poked her head in the door before walking all the way into the office.

When the headmistress saw it was Misty, she instinctively crossed her arms but relaxed back into her chair; the self conscious attempt to cover herself contradicting her softening posture. It always seemed like Misty had her stuck in between two spaces. She couldn't tell if Misty made her more relaxed or more anxious and she couldn't decided whether to be a friend or authority figure. She was uncomfortably stuck in the middle of each spectrum. "Hey Misty, I was just thinking about you."

"Thinkin bout how I kicked your butt in incantations Monday night?" The two witches shared a laugh, knowing how Misty struggled with the Latin pronunciations.

"You're getting there, don't be so hard on yourself," Cordelia offered her a reassuring smile.

"Yea, that's why ya just laughed at me." Misty raised her eyebrows accusingly.

"Hey, you made the joke, not me. Besides it's cute when you pronounce it wrong," Cordelia awkwardly cleared her throat, not meaning to call Misty cute, "Cute like a baby learning to talk." The headmistress teetered back onto the anxious side, picking up her pen and fiddling with it, clicking it every so often.

"Cute like a baby learning to talk," Misty mimicked in her best old lady voice, sticking out her tongue at the end.

Cordelia put her hand on her chest, feigning offence, "Is that supposed to be me?!"

"You're the one that called me a baby!"

"Yea, well, since I'm such a decrepit headmistress you're getting a hard lesson tonight." Cordelia pursed her lips, attempting to fight back a grin.

"Speakin' of which, I came in ta ask if ya mind if I take a raincheck for tonight's lesson?"

"Oh," Cordelia frowned, disappointment washing over her, "No, not at all, do you mind me asking why though?"

"I forgot to tell ya at Monday's lesson that I was hangin out with Maddie and them tonight so I wouldn't make it to the greenhouse."

Cordelia visibly hardened, soft and joking demeanor gone. Her disappointment involuntarily transforming into something darker. "Alright, do you mind if I get back to work then?"

Misty obviously felt the shift in mood and awkwardly shuffled towards the door. "Yea, sorry for distracting you ," she bit her lip, debating whether to change her plans, "Ya aren't like mad at me right?"

"No," Cordelia knew she shouldn't be upset, but she was and she was having a hard time hiding it, "As your teacher, your personal life is really none of my business. I'm here to help you grow as a witch and that's really it." Her answer was professional, authoritative, and devoid of any lightness that was present less than a minute ago.

Misty frowned, put off by the unusual coldness in Cordelia's tone. She looked at the headmistress, waiting for the woman to meet her gaze but Cordelia never did. Awkwardly, she slid out of the room.

Cordelia let out a sigh when Misty had left, immediately regretting how she acted. The greenhouse was supposed to be their special time. It had grown to be more than just a lesson for Cordelia. The headmistress hadn't realized how much she looked forward to spending that time with Misty, laughing, talking about each other's day, and just relaxing. She hated how jealous she felt. It was dark, ugly, making her act out when it shouldn't have even bothered Cordelia that Misty wanted to hang out with the other girls in the house and not her teacher.

Her jealousy subsided and was quickly replaced by embarrassment. She was grown woman why was she acting out over something so insignificant. Knowing she would have to go find Misty and apologize, Cordelia sat back in her chair, figuring she would wait until after the swamp witch finished hanging out with the other girls to talk in private.

000

It was already midnight and Cordelia could still hear obnoxious laughter roaring from downstairs. In such a big house, the noise tended to echo. But that didn't bother her. What bothered her was the fact that she stopped hearing Misty giggle around 11. Cordelia didn't ask why she had listened for Misty's laugh among all the other high pitched noises. She honestly didn't want to know, unsettled by the way she had been reacting to Misty lately. Everything was so black and white. Cordelia preferred to live in grays where nothing could go wrong but Misty was always at an extreme. Either she was dancing, twirling and doubling over with laughter or she was crying, sobbing over the frog Cordelia accidentally hit on their way home from the store. Being around Misty was exciting. It was living.

Cordelia got up from her desk and stretched, muscles stiff from hunching over her desk for so long. She descended the steps, the girls voices getting louder as she got closer. Still oddly enough, there were no signs of Misty. The floorboards groaned under her feet as she padded down the hall and towards the den. As she got closer, the laughs subsided and were replaced by hushed whispers and scurrying. Cordelia sped up to get around the corner only to have Misty smash straight into her. "Misty?" She tried to peak behind the girl to see what the other girls seemed to be hiding but Misty was leaning heavily against Cordelia, almost laying on top of her.

"Hey misssss Cordelia." It almost sounded like Misty was hissing, her words obviously slurred.

Cordelia froze, hair rising on the back of her neck at the scent of alcohol and Misty's impaired speech. "Misty are you drunk?"

"Nah Miss. delia," the witch hiccuped, laughing to herself, "We are just hangin out."

Cordelia, furious, told Misty to stay there as she moved the girl aside and entered the den. "What is going on here? Have you girls been drinking?" The headmistress peered around the room, looking for signs of alcohol.

"No," Madison shrugged off Cordelia's anger, "You heard the swamp witch or could you not understand her bumpkin accent?" The starlet brought a red cup up to her mouth, raising her eyebrows at Cordelia, almost daring the teacher to challenge her.

Cordelia in her anger, snatched the cup, smelling it before taking a little sip. Nothing. The headmistress opened her mouth to interrogate her students when there was loud thump outside the room. "Misty?" She hesitated for a second, giving the rest of the girls a glare that promised she would be back to find out what was going on, before she scurried out of the room. "Misty are you okay?"

"Mhm," Misty looked up, in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. "Hi Miss. Delia."

Cordelia walked over, bending down and grabbing onto the girls shoulders to force her to sit up. "Misty," her tone softened, "What happ— oh my god." The headmistress ripped her hand away from Misty's shoulder, grimacing at the substance that had leaked onto her hand from the cajun's hair. "Is that? Did you, uh, get sick Misty?"

Misty nodded, ashamed, "Must've been somethin' I uh, uh, ate, I'mm real s-sorry Miss. Delia, I'm feelin' real funny right now." The younger witch closed her eyes, head flopping now that Cordelia wasn't holding up her shoulder.

"Alright, okay," Cordelia stood up, "Let's get you upstairs and cleaned up okay?"

Misty let out a little grunt, and tried a few times before sucessfully standing up, though she leaned heavily on staircase.

"If you feel dizzy, or sick again let me know right away okay?" Cordelia wrapped an arm around the girl's waist, holding her steady while they made their way up the stairs. She looked over her shoulder to yell to the other girls still in the den, "Everyone bed now! I swear to God if— when I find out what happened, you're all in so much trouble." She heard muffled voices, and decided to let it go until Misty was situated and not vomiting all over herself. "Almost there Mist, are you okay?"

"Mhm," Misty trudged on, though she began to slow down, taking labored breaths.

"Okay, here we go." They reached the last step and Misty nearly collapsed on Cordelia, "Come on, I need you to help me a little bit more Misty, just to my bathroom c'mon." She pushed Misty up a little until the girl began to respond, and they walked slowly over to the master suite. "Alright, here we are, are you still okay?" Her tone was soft, and concerned, all anger left downstairs in the den as she set let Misty take a little rest on her bed.

"Miss. Delia, I-." Misty stopped abruptly, cupping over her mouth.

Cordelia's eyes nearly popped out of her head and she grabbed the girls elbow, rushing her to the bathroom. They made it just in time, Misty hugging the toilet for dear life, the headmistress holding back her hair and rubbing circles into her back.

"I-" Misty tried to get in words before her body was wracked again with convulsion. She shook violently, crying out as her stomach emptied.

"Shh," Cordelia soothed, stroking her hair and whispering to the girl, "Let it out. It's okay, I'm right here." She tried her best to comfort the girl, though she was speaking mostly to reassure herself. _What if Misty was really sick? Alcohol poisoning? Should she call 911?_

"Cordelia?"

The headmistress spun, seeing Nan standing in the doorway. She clenched her knuckles, feeling an angry sear make its way though her body. "What?' She nearly growled.

"We didn't mean to," Nan bit her lip, trying to find the right words," You know." She gestured towards Misty, who was panting into the toilet, though she seemed to stop vomiting. "It was just for fun. We all wanted to see what she would be like drunk. She said she'd never tried any of it before. I swear Queenie, Zoe, and I wanted to stop after a little bit but Madison kept handing her drinks and-"

"That's enough Nan," Cordelia's features hardened with anger, but she maintained her composure, speaking sternly, "We'll talk about it in the morning. Thank you for letting me know what happened." Nan left the room and Cordelia felt like crying. She couldn't fathom how the girls could just take advantage of Misty's innocence when all Cordelia wanted to do was bottle it and keep it forever.

"Miss. Delia," Misty attempted to turn slowly, feeling Cordelia clutching the back of her shirt," Are you alright?" She panted heavily, swallowing thickly and wiping the side of her mouth.

"Oh," Cordelia let go of her death grip on Misty's shawl, "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yea" Misty leaned back, laying into Cordelia's lap and resting her head on the woman's shoulder out of pure exhaustion. "Do ya mind? I uh, can't really hold myself up at the moment."

A little rush of air, resembling a laugh, spilled from Cordelia's lips, "You're too much. Even when you're puking your guts out you're worrying about everyone else." Without thought, Cordelia rested her head against Misty's. She wrinkled her nose, remembering the residue in the younger witches hair. "Let's get you cleaned up, yea?"

"I don't think I can stand yet," Misty's panting finally subsided but she was still sickly pale, sweat glistening on her brow.

"You can lay your head on the edge of the tub and I'll rinse your hair out in the bath?" Misty just nodded, too tired to give a proper response. "Okay." Cordelia untangled herself from Misty, suddenly aware of how close they actually were; the contact was natural and comfortable and it made the older witch wish they had just sat there for a little bit longer. She got up, grabbing a few towels and folding them, "Can you scoot back?"

"Can ya help me a little," Misty frowned, "Not too fast, my stomach is all over tha place." Cordelia hooked her arms under Misty, helping the girl slide back until she could lean against the tub.

"Up." The headmistress, raised her off the ground and placed the towels under her so her head would be level with the tub, matted curls spilling over the porcelain side. "Is everything okay?" Cordelia rolled up a towel and placed it behind Misty's neck, wanting to make sure the girl was comfortable. "Let me know if the waters too hot or anything."

The swamp witch nodded, closing her eyes while the headmistress detached the shower head and brought it down to her hair. She hummed softly, the warm water providing a much needed distraction from the painful clenching in her stomach. Nimble fingers began to work through knots and massage shampoo into her hair. "Ya know Miss. Cordelia," her voice was hoarse, throat sore from earlier, "Ya are like a saint or somethin'"

"Definitely or something." The headmistress stood in the tub, moving the shower head in closer and making sure all of Misty's hair was clean.

"And modest too." Misty smiled, bringing her knees up to her chest, "I mean it Miss. Delia. I don't know where I'd be without ya savin me from the witch hunters, and teachin me all about your plants and even right now. Just everything." Misty continued to murmur reverently, going on about Cordelia, while the headmistress blushed above.

It wasn't until Cordelia finished washing the girls hair that she realized the younger girl had fallen into a buzzed slumber after trailing off. She laughed lightly, feeling foolish for thinking that they were having an emotional silence; a moment if you will. At least Misty probably wouldn't remember most of this in the morning. "Misty," Cordelia nudged her lightly, whispering, "Misty you fell asleep." Misty groaned, stirring lightly. "Come on, it's time for you to go to bed." Her eyes fluttered open and the headmistress smiled down at her, "Can you walk to your room on your own?"

"Mhm," Misty groaned, rubbing her eyes and leaning on the tub to stand up. She didn't even bother to wrap up her wet hair in a towel, droplets falling down on her back onto her shawl, causing Cordelia to grin at how much Misty resembled a wet puppy. "G'night. Thank you." Misty leaned over the tub, catching Cordelia in a grateful hug.

Thought she was caught by surprise, Cordelia wrapped her arms around the girl. "Let me know if you need anything?" Misty breathed a reply into Cordelia's neck and she shivered, holding just a little bit tighter onto the girl. Time seemed to crawl by, Misty breathing slowly into Cordelia."Misty?"

"Hm?"

"Are you gonna let go?"

"Oh," She laughed lightly, obviously still a little buzzed," Night."

Cordelia watched the girl stumbled out of her bathroom, debating on following her but deciding she would be okay. She bit her iip, again feeling stupid for thinking they were having a moment when Misty was just drunkenly about to pass out during their hug. Oh well. She began to clean up, making a mental note to check up on Misty in the morning because the swamp witch would most definitely be hungover.

After everything had been cleaned up, all dirty towels thrown into the hamper and unpleasantness flushed away, Cordelia finally walked back into her room, felt around in the dark for pj's and crawled into bed. She embraced the clean scent of her sheets and the comfort of her bad after being wracked with stress over Misty's well being. While yawning, she reached around for an extra pillow, only to bed met with a handful of wet curls. She muffled her initial yelp of surprise in the sheets and flipped on her bedside light switch only to see Misty's sleeping form in her bed. "Misty?" She prodded the girls shoulder, "Misty wake up."

Cordelia was met with no reply and she sunk in to bed, figuring the girl had quite literally passed out from exhaustion and the alcohol still in her system. She flicked off her light and laid, watching the girl sleep. It was creepy but it's not like Misty would know. Plus, she just liked the way the girl who was always moving, dancing, or talking was finally just still and at peace. It was a rare sight. Unconsciously, Cordelia reached out and tucked a curl behind Misty's ear with a light, ghostly touch. Feeling strangely content, Cordelia turned over and fell asleep to the gentle sound of their breathing syncing together.


End file.
